The title compound, C₂₃H₂₀O₂, is a precursor of a pyrene-based supramolecular element for non-covalent attachment to a carbon nanotube. The asymmetric unit contains three independent molecules. The carboxylic acid group in each of these molecules serves as an intermolecular hydrogen-bond donor and acceptor, generating the commonly observed double O-H...O hydrogen-bond motif in an eight-membered ring. Weaker C-H...O, π π [centroid-centroid distance = 3.968 (4) Å] and C-H...π interactions are also found in the crystal structure.